WARFARE
by Kathy Pegram

 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

 

Have you ever noticed how the devil will sneak in and zap you when you least expect it? Today was one of those days for me. There are certain circumstances that when they all work together are sure to make me an easy target for Satan's sneak attacks. Usually he pretty much succeeds at bringing me down and giving me a case of the woe is me syndrome. But, today I recognized his tactic about 15 minutes after he started. I spent some time alone with God and shook the oppression he was trying to put on me off. The thing is he has used this same thing over and over again, but this was the first time I was able to recognize and stop what he was doing so soon. And let me tell you it felt good to finally see through his little scheme and get the victory over it in this one area. Do I think he won't use this again. Oh he'll probably try, but now that I've seen what he is doing it will make it a little easier next time to say go away you're not doing this to be again.

Satan works in so many subtle ways to attack us and bring us down. Stop and think about it. Things are going along great and then zap you start having trouble in your family. Fights break out over minor things but, it's enough to bring disharmony to your life. You look at your friends carefree life and compare their circumstances to your own life and then zap before you know it your struggling with envy. Maybe out of the blue you begin to feel your not a successful Christian. You look at the way others worship or witness and zap you begin to feel guilty that you're not like them. Then on the other hand you may start feeling bitter and cynical not on your own behalf but on behalf of someone you love who you feel has been unjustly treated. Oh yes I've been there, done that and bought the T-shirt. Satan definitely knows how to hit us where it hurts. There are so many little things I could list that I really believe Satan places in our lives to try and cause us to stumble. But, I think you get idea of what I'm talking about.

As long as we are on this earth we are on a battle field. And as in any battle we need to know our enemy. Spiritual warfare is a term we're all familiar with. But, how many of us apply it to our lives in the seemingly unimportant attacks from Satan? It's those sneak attacks that bring us down. Those are the ones we're not prepared for. Satan sneaks in from the side catches us in an unguarded, unsuspecting moment and zap he's wounded us and we didn't even see him coming. The less you know about Satan's intentions, his power, his trickery the better he likes you. Satan is able to do so much of his work without us even stopping him. We have become so preoccupied in our everyday lives that he comes in and does his work unhindered. We can't simply live our lives from church service to church service. We have to be on guard against the enemy constantly. The Bible tells us to put on the full armor of God. And guess what? He told us what to put on, he didn't let us pick and choose He said put on the full armor. Why? Because it is our defense against the devil. But, it is your responsibility to put it on. He's not going to put it on for you. He also didn't say put it on and then take it off, He said put it on and no where does it say take it off. That should be our first hint that this is a life long battle.

I truly believe that if we will keep our minds occupied with Christ and spend intimate time with Him. When Satan comes around with one of his sneak attacks we will be more likely to recognize it for what it is. We should be alert to every thought that flits through our minds. Drug abuse, alcoholism, prostitution, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, the list goes on and on. They were all thoughts before they became reality. Bitterness, resentment, unhappiness, discontentment these all make fertile ground for Satan to sneak in and zap you. Those small zaps will add up to these bigger zaps if we don't open our eyes to what Satan is trying to do. Be on guard against the enemy. Post a guard on your thoughts. You're fighting against the spiritual forces of evil. Keep this in your mind at all times. That person standing in front of you who is speaking lies or hurtful things is not the enemy Satan is. Satan will use whatever means he can to make you miserable, to wound you to stop you from the battle you are engaged in. So check your armor, pick up your weapons and fight! God let us know in advance that we win. So be encouraged, stand your ground. Stay alert and next time Satan tries to zap you shine up that armor, stand proud and say I must doing something right because Satan is on my back again.

 

Love and Prayers,

Kathy